| Type | PGA-ZIF |
|---|---|
| Chip form factors | Ceramic Pin Grid Array (CPGA) Organic Pin Grid Array (OPGA) |
| Contacts | 453 |
| FSB protocol | EV6 |
| FSB frequency | 200 MT/s, 266 MT/s, 333 MT/s, 400 MT/s |
| Voltage range | 1.0–2.05 V |
| Processors | AMD Athlon (650 MHz – 1400 MHz) AMD Athlon XP (1500+ – 3200+) AMD Duron (600 MHz – 1800 MHz) AMD Sempron (2000+ – 3300+) AMD Athlon MP (1000 MHz – 3000+) AMD Geode NX (667 MHz – 2200 MHz) |
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This article is part of the CPU socket series |
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Socket A (also known as Socket 462) is the CPU socket used for AMD processors ranging from the Athlon Thunderbird to the Athlon XP/MP 3200+, and AMD budget processors including the Duron and Sempron. Socket A also supports AMD Geode NX embedded processors (derived from the Mobile Athlon XP). The socket is a zero insertion force pin grid array type with 453 pins (nine pins are blocked in the socket to prevent accidental insertion of Socket 370 CPUs, hence the number 462). The front side bus frequencies supported for the AMD Athlon XP and Sempron are 133 MHz, 166 MHz, and 200 MHz. Socket A supports 32-bit CPUs only.
Socket A was replaced by Socket 754 and Socket 939 during 2003 and 2004 respectively, except for its use with Geode NX processors.
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Initially launched with 100 MHz FSB support in the earliest chipsets it evolved stepwise to faster 200 MHz FSB while maintaining pin compatibility throughout its lifetime. However, clock, timing, BIOS and voltage differences restrict compatibility between older chipsets and later processors.[2]
AMD recommends that the mass of a Socket A CPU cooler to not exceed 300 grams (10.6 ounces). Heavier coolers may result in damage to the die when the system is not properly handled.
All socket A processors (Athlon, Sempron, Duron and Geode NX) have the following mechanical maximum load limits which should not be exceeded during heatsink assembly, shipping conditions, or standard use. Load above those limits may crack the processor die and make it unusable.
| Location | Dynamic | Static |
|---|---|---|
| Die Surface | 445 N(100 lbf) | 133 N(30 lbf) |
| Die Edge | 44 N(10 lbf) | 44 N(10 lbf) |
Those load limits are quite small compared to the load limits of Socket 478 processors. Indeed, they were so small that many users ended up with cracked processors while trying to remove or attach heatsinks for their fragile processors. This made installing non-standard or non-certified heatsink solutions a risky business.
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